A Place to Call Home: OneShot
by horseluvr00
Summary: When Kate starts avoiding SHIELD and coming home with mysterious injuries why won't she tell anyone what's going on? Will the Avengers be able to figure it out and get through to this stubborn teenager? Follows the story of my OC Kate Sanders who was pretty much adopted by Earth's Mightiest Heroes :) Requests for more one shots welcome! Check out the actual story as well!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 **Hey everyone! So this is my first individual one shot for A Place to Call Home. The one shot will be a few very short chapters all together so read and I hope you enjoy :)**

 **Takes place between the first one and the sequel obviously XD**

 **If you have any ideas for one shots (or short stories, which ever you prefer) please PM me or review it in the "comments" XD**

I exchanged a glare with the agent as she walked by me. I got into a couple fights today... They started it!

A lot of agents my age keep thinking I get slack because I'm Captain America's adopted daughter and because I live with the Avengers! Which I don't! If anything Dad is pretty strict about me and SHIELD business. I didn't even throw the first punch... But I did throw the last, so I was happy.

Although I did have a busted lip, a black eye, and a sprained wrist along with a couple other bruises.

Seconds later I slowly looked up to see Dad walking over. I gave an innocent smile before he let out a breath as he walked up.

"Captain Rogers" An Agent greeted. He just gave a nod. Seconds later they handed me off before I was left standing in the hall with my hands in cuffs. I gave him another innocent smile. He was just looking at me with his arms crossed.

"What was it this time" He deadpans. I frown slightly.

"A fight" I reply; looking at the floor. I saw him furrow his eyebrows before continuing.

"About what?" He asked slowly. He knows I'm not one to cause trouble at SHIELD; usually I'm more quiet and to myself when here. I hesitated my answer.

"People here don't think I'm a real agent; saying I'm weak and the only reason I got into SHIELD was because of you and everyone else at the Tower" I mumble with a shrug; not daring to look up at him. He didn't say anything for a moment and when I briefly looked up at him I saw what I think is pity.

He kneeled down before unlocking the cuffs they put me in.

"I'm sorry honey" He said quietly. I just look to the left. I know he means it but I don't want pity. I want to prove them wrong. I pulled my hands out of the cuffs before he tossed them onto the cabinet next to us.

"It's not like it matters, I mean they're right" I point up to my face. Where I pretty much got beat up.

"It does matter" He says back; this time a bit more serious. We started walking down the hall and I had my arms crossed. "And they couldn't be more wrong about you Kate." He adds. "You're a strong and talented agent; they're lucky to have you" He says. I just rolled my eyes again. Usually when he says anything inspirational it comes off a bit cheesy-... unless we're out fighting a battle. His brain is usually coming up with some good sayings and comebacks; don't ask how long it took me to coordinate that hypothesis.

"Can we spar when we get home?" I asked; somewhat ignoring the complement he gave me in order to make me feel better. I feel like practicing. I want to get better. He looks down at me.

"You don't need to prove yourself Kate" He says.

"Yes I do" I make clear. "If I can't have the last word then they won't stop with this" I mumble. I was kinda bullied at SHIELD. I never told anyone- especially Dad. He would flip.

"What do you mean" He asked in a more so serious tone. I opened my mouth before closing it. I can't tell him about the bullying.

"Just for reassurance" I say. He didn't look at all convinced.

"Kate is there something going on that you're not telling me about?" He asks. My eyes were locked on the ground as we walked out of the SHIELD base and towards the parking lot.

"Nope" I smile quickly before looking back at the ground. I caught him shaking his head slightly as we were walking and I felt a little uneasy.

He can't know about the bullying. Never. Ever.

~0~

Once we got back to the tower I went up to my room. I had been up here for about an hour when I heard a knock at my door.

I got up and walked over before opening it; seeing Natasha.

"Hey Kate" She smiled. I just gave a small smile before opening the door farther. She walked in and over to my bed before sitting down; sitting criss-cross. "So what's goin on?" She asked. I shrug before sitting down at my desk; turning the chair to face her.

"Nothin, I just got in a fight" I mumble.

"Over what?" She asked with a smirk. I didn't respond for a few seconds.

"Other agents my age think I'm weak and that people cut me too much slack since I live with you all" I shrug. "No big deal" I add with a smirk. She hesitated before smirking.

"So how long has it been going on?" She asked. I hesitate before raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean- nothing is going on-"

"Kate I can see it" She chuckles. "How long have they been bullying you?" She asked a bit serious. I bit my lip.

"Couple months" I say. She nods after a few seconds.

"So why haven't you told anyone?" She asked quieter. I shrug after a couple seconds.

"You know how at the warehouse they tried to push me to my limit?" I asked. She nodded. "Yeah well the things they say to me- at SHIELD, it just really-..." I stop for a moment. The things they say about me and my family here are just so angering. "It just makes me so mad and I want to-"

"I understand" She says. I nod after a couple seconds.

"It's my problem, no one else needs to know about it" I tell her.

"Kate, Steve's going to find out at some point." I jerked my head around to see Clint had walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

"Not if I keep it a secret" I reply. Clint and Natasha exchanged a glance. "Wha-"

"Kate you can't keep stuff like this a secret" Clint says. I just look at the ground before scratching the back of my head; feeling the pounding in my head. My black eye still hurt and so did my busted lip.

"If I deal with it before it gets worse I won't have to keep it a secret" I reply.

"Kate-" Natasha starts.

"Why are you two so in my face about this bullying crap?" I asked. "It's not a big deal-"

"To your father it is" She makes clear. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"What the hell does that mean" I mumble; looking down. It's not like he's been through this before.

No one said anything for almost a minute.

"Wanna spar?" Natasha asked. I hesitate before nodding. I got up and followed her out and Clint closed the door to my room behind us.

 **Ta da! There you go folks! That's part one of the one shot. This one shot is a bit short; a couple very short chapters pretty much so… yeah. :) Review if you liked and want more! :)**

 **Again, if you have any ideas for one shots (or short stories, which ever you prefer) please PM me or review it in the "comments" XD**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **Next part of the one shot! :)**

 _ **AvengerFrost:**_ **Thank you for reviewing! :D Your review gave me an idea… *evilly chuckles* Hope you like this chapter! Thank you for reviewing my story too! :) I love hearing from everyone**

 _ **Phoenix Brooke:**_ **Thank you for the compliment even though the story has just started! XD I'm so sorry about the bullying. I was bullied too, when I was younger though. (Unfortunately it was physical bullying as well) Thankfully I've gotten past it but I did incorporate some of my own experiences into this oneshot :) I wish you the best of luck with the bullying and I hope that it stops soon. And remember; never give up, stay strong! :) It'll get better :D Of course, I will do my best to make this a longer one-shot :) It was originally going to be about 3 chapters but now that I think about it, there is much more to add :D**

 _ **Juliet and Molly:**_ **Just wanna shout out how grateful I am to have readers like you who follow and read all of my stories :) It means so much I feel like I know you guys! XD I wait to see your reviews on everything that I post because I know I can always look forward to hearing from you :) Hope you like this chapter! And I think you might be on to something with what you said in your review…..** _ **Hint hint**_ **XD**

I quickly dodged a kick before blocking several punches. I used my forearm to block several before dropping to the ground to kick her feet out from under her. She jumped over before hooking her leg around my arm; flipping me onto my back.

She let me up seconds later and I let out a breath.

"You did good today" She smiled. I just nod. If you have to tell me a did good it's as if you're trying to assuring me so I don't think I sucked...

I then walked towards the elevator. Once I got back to my room I closed and locked the door behind me before sitting on my bed. Besides from the fight today, they usually gave me a hard time at SHIELD. Several agents were always on my case and usually managed to come at exactly the wrong time.

Like what happened last week...

~0~

 **Last week...**

 _I quickly put my hoodie on; closing my SHIELD locker before walking for the door. I walked out into the hall before seeing Carly and Adeline walking towards me. I kept walking before they stopped in front of me._

 _"Long time no see freak" Carly sweetly. I kept a straight face before my eyes went to the ground. "So how exactly did you even get into this organization?" I didn't say anything._

 _Suddenly Adeline took a threatening step forward._

 _"She asked you a question" She growled. I just kept looking at the ground. Stay calm. This has happened before. Just don't egg them on._

 _Suddenly Carly pushed me against the wall behind me and I hit my head and clenched my jaw slightly. Don't give in._

 _"So you have a hard time talking?" She snapped before punching me straight in the gut. I grunted in pain and fell onto my knees. "How bout now?" She growled. I looked up; breathing a bit heavy while holding my forearm across my stomach. I felt a smirk come onto my face._

 _"I think that helped" I reply sarcastically._

 _"Good" She smiled before knocking me across the face. I fell to the side before rolling into her; wrapping my legs around one of hers before turning; making her flip over and fall against the wall._

 _"Hey!" I turned and saw Agent Wilson standing in the hall. "You know the rules Agent Rogers!" He shouted._

 _"But it wasn't my-"_

 _"I will write you up!" He cut me off. I closed my mouth before nodding._

 _"Yes sir" I reply quietly before Carly got to her feet. They both glared at me before walking away. I pushed myself up 'til I was sitting against the wall._

 _Once Agent Wilson walked away I started to push myself up. Once I got to my feet and adjusted my hoodie before walking down the hall with a roll of my eyes._

 _Those people really get on my nerves. It's not just those two either. These two guys; David and Jason hate me as well. And there are a few other people but they aren't as extreme when it comes to picking on me._

 _~0~_

 _I shoved my hands deeper into my pockets as I walked down the sidewalk. My hood was over my head to hide my black eye. Dad is on a mission and will be back soon. Hopefully I can borrow some of Pepper's make up to try and hide it._

 _My phone started ringing and I pulled it out; seeing it was Sam._

 _"Hey Sam" I spoke up as I answered the phone._

 _"Hey, what are you doing right now?" She asked. I looked around as I walked across the street._

 _"Walking around, what about you?"_

 _"Sitting at home on my laptop watching a movie" She replies. I chuckle._

 _"Sounds fun" I say._

 _"Mind if I come over later?" She asked. "My parents are having some friends over and I don't want to be here"_

 _"Sounds good, come whenever" I reply._

 _"Good" She says happily. "Alright, see you then"_

 _"Bye" I laugh before hanging up; looking up as I approached Stark tower._

 _A couple minutes later I walked out of the elevator and onto the communal floor._

 _"Hey Kate" I briefly glanced at Clint who was eating a sandwich at the table._

 _"Hi" I reply; walking into the kitchen. I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge before leaning against the corner._

 _"Hey I need a sparring partner" He called over as he got up. "Gym in 10?" He asked. I nod before sipping my water._

 _"Sure" I say; keeping my head down. He nods before walking towards the stairs. I let out a breath before drinking more of my water._

 _My ears perked up slightly when the elevator door opened._

 _"Hey honey" I turned to see Dad walk out in his stealth suit._

 _"Hi Dad" I mumble as I swallowed some more water. "How was the mission?" I asked. He shrugged._

 _"It was ok" He sighs. "Natasha got banged up a bit; has a concussion" He says. I looked up a bit._

 _"She ok?" I asked; leaning my back against the counter. He didn't say anything for a few seconds. My back was to him so I couldn't see his expression._

 _"Yeah she's fine" He says. I nod to myself before placing my water bottle on the counter._

 _"I'm gonna go spar with Clint" I say before I walked around the corner towards the elevator. I was about 10 ft. from the door._

 _"Kate" He spoke up. I stopped and felt my gaze get lost on the door. I closed my eyes briefly before opening them. I could hear him take a few steps towards me before he started to turn me. I still had my hood on. Once he turned me so that I was facing him I kept my eyes down. Don't look up. Don't look up._

 _Before I could react he pulled my hood off and I closed my eyes; knowing I was busted._

 _"What happened to your eye?" He asked; looking concerned. I huffed before looking to the left._

 _"Ok, I kinda slipped and well- I fell after I got beat-t- I Uh, after I got back from the mission" I stutter. Oh god, at this pace I'll never steer him off. He just raised an eyebrow before nodding slightly._

 _"So you slipped" He states. "On what?" He asked._

 _"Wet floor" I shrug. "I know, it's stupid but that's the truth"_

 _He nods after a few seconds again and he still looked a bit concerned._

 _"Don't make it any worse when you spar with Clint" He says. I nod before he walked into the kitchen. I immediately felt myself relax and I took in a quiet breath._

 _Thank god. That was close._

 _I quickly walked to the elevator before going in. I caught the concerned look dad sent me before the door closed._

… _I think he's catching on._

~0~

Yeah. Last week was a close one. Something tells me Dad knew I was lying. But he knows if I lie then it's usually for a reason that they'll never get me to tell. So most of the time he backs off for a bit before asking again.

~0~

 **A couple days later…**

I wrapped my hand up before walking towards the punching bag. I had to use extra wrapping on my wrist that I sprained... Well, I actually shouldn't be using the punching bag in the first place because of my hand so whatever. Might as well go with the saying: 'no pain no gain'.

Minutes went by as I threw several punches when I saw someone out of the corner of my eye. I turned only briefly to see Dad walk in.

"Hey" I speak up as he walked in. I punched the bag a couple more times before I realized he had stopped and was just watching me from a few feet away. I punched it once more before turning to him.

"Kate can I talk to you" He asked. I furrowed my eyebrows slightly. His expression was a bit dark; which kinda confused me.

"Uh sure?" I replied slowly before walking over to the bench against the wall.

He came over too before sitting down next to me. "Did I forget to close a window or something?" I asked. He gave me a confused look. Sometimes I open the window to my room and leave it open.

"Wha- no, well- at least I don't think so" He replied; bringing back to casual tone.

"Huh" I breathe with a shrug; looking into my lap.

"You're late for your mission" He says. I stopped what I was doing; my eyes still looking at the floor. How did he know?! I hacked into SHIELD and might have sent a message to Fury saying that I wasn't allowed to go on the mission; making it look like Dad sent the message.

"No I didn't have a mission" I say; looking up at him. He looked at me for a moment and I knew that he could see right through my lie.

"Then why did Coulson ask me earlier today about why I wouldn't let you go on the mission?" He asked. I bit my bottom lip and looked at the ground.

"Kate you need to tell me what's going on; you've been avoiding SHIELD for a while now" He says. I took a deep breath and held it in for a while.

Don't tell him. God damn it why is this always so hard. I was bullied as a kid too. The last place I thought I would be picked on was with SHIELD.

"I dunno" I mumble. He lets out a breath before looking out across the gym. I could tell he wanted an answer.

"Kate-"

"Why is it that you all have to know?! It's not that big of a deal" I cut him off.

"It's because we all care about you. That's why." He says back a tad bit louder. I kept looking at the ground.

"My wrist still hurts" I tell him. "That's why I skipped" I add before looking up at him. He looked at me for a few seconds before looking over at the punching bag.

"And you think this will help?" He replied. I clenched my jaw slightly before looking away at the ground. He looked at me for a few more seconds before getting up and walking for the door.

I let my shoulders slump as I relaxed once he left. They don't need to know. It's nothing really. I'm sure if I don't make a big deal out of it they'll eventually lose interest.

 **Next one will be up very soon! :) Please review if you liked it**

 **I will keep posting this note, but if you have ideas or suggestions on more one-shots for A Place to Call Home then review them or feel free to PM me XD**


	3. Chapter 3

**New chapter :) I'm sorry everyone, school is really keeping me busy; I'm trying my best to get these up. Please bear with me**

I walked down the street before finally making it to the café/bakery place where Sam worked at.

"Sup bestie" Sam smirked as I walked in the door. "Right one cue" I rolled my eyes.

We sat down at a table and she pushed some cocoa towards me.

"Alright, explain it all from the beginning" She says. Over the last week I got beat up once. Yeah. What else was supposed to happen am I right? She knew something was up by my closed off behavior and made me come here to talk. She was on break.

"Ok" I let out a shaky breath before wrapping my hands around the mug. "I'm being bullied at SHIELD" I admit. She shakes her head.

"Son of a bitch, I knew it" She muttered. I gave a half smirk.

"Yeah, so I'm trying to avoid it and not tell anyone-"

"How's your dad taking it?" She cut me off a bit.

"Honestly? He's pissed that I won't talk to him about it" I explain.

"Wait- you haven't told him?" She asked; getting concerned. I shake my head. "Please tell me someone besides me knows"

"Natasha and Clint figured it out, so they know"

"But you weren't going to tell them" She finished. I give a nod before sipping my cocoa. "Dude, you and I both know you can't run away from this-"

"Who said anything about running away" I asked. She raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't finish. I was going to say you can't run away from this forever. Giving SHIELD a break might be just what you need" She says. I shake my head.

"Negative, can't do that" I tell her.

"And why not?" She asked; raising an eyebrow. I shrug.

"I devoted myself to SHIELD and fighting the bad guys Sam, I'm not going to let a few high strung, stuck up agents get in the way of that" I make clear. Sam sighs; leaning back in her chair.

"Kate you need to also stop and think about the people that care about you. Your dad for one would flip out, I can see it now" She whispers at the end; shivering at the thought. I smirked a bit. Yes, she found him a bit intimidating... I will admit when he's mad he scares the hell out of me but that's beside the point.

"If it means that much then I guess I can tell him at some point" I mutter.

"Sanders- that's not funny. You need to tell him about this the next time you see him" She makes clear. I hesitate to say anything. She was very serious right now and I'm not... So I go ahead and point out the flaw in that sentence.

"Rogers" I mumble. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"Last name, it's not Sanders anymore it's Rogers" I explain. She throws a hand in the air.

"Katelyn you can't even take this seriously!" She says. My eyes widen.

"Do not use the full name" I make clear. "Take it down a notch" I tell her.

"Take it down?! No Kate, I'm sick of this! You keep thinking you have to fight these battles along when you don't have to!" She tells me. Her voice got a bit louder. "You tell him or I will" She says before getting up and walking back into the kitchen. I threw a hand in the air; about to speak up before I closed my mouth and huffed.

~0~

I got back to the Tower an hour later or so; seeing Tony sitting on the couch.

"Why the long face?" He asked. I shrugged; plopping down on the opposite couch.

"Rough day" I mumble.

"I know the feeling" He mumbles; looking at the TV. I rolled my eyes and cracked a smile. Haha, no you don't.

"Sam doin ok?" He asked. I nod.

"Yeah, we were just catching up" I tell him. He looks over with a smile before nodding.

"What's with the black eye?" He asked. My eyes widened a bit and I laughed.

"I slipped and fell about a week ago, thought dad would have mentioned it" I laugh. He looks at me funny.

"Looks like you got hit to me" He says. I stopped laughing for a moment before shaking my head.

"Nope" I quickly say. "No fights or anything" I smile. He nods after a few seconds.

"Alright then" He looked a bit confused.

Taking that as a cue I got up and headed for my room to get ready for bed.

~0~

 **An hour later...**

Steve walked out of the elevator and onto the communal floor wearing a grey shirt and jeans. Tony was on the couch still watching a movie.

"How'd the mission go?" Tony asked. Steve glanced over at him.

"Alright, few problems but overall we got it done" He summed up. He nods and it got quiet for a few seconds.

"How's Kate doing?" He finally asked. Steve looked over at him this time with a slightly concerned look.

"What do you mean?" He spoke up.

"She's been acting a bit different is all, just wondering if something happened" He says. "What's this whole business about her falling and getting a black eye?" He asked. Steve let out a breath before nodding.

"Yeah that's the same story I got" He walks into the kitchen.

"Seems like she got hit" Tony looks over at him. Steve finally nodded.

"That's what Clint and Natasha said too" He sighs. "I'm gonna ask her about it" He adds before walking for the elevator.

"She went up a while ago, don't know if she was going to bed or not" Tony calls. He gives a nod over his shoulder before walking out.

~0~

Minutes later Steve lightly knocked on Kate's door. It was quiet for a few seconds before he quietly opened it; seeing she fell asleep with a sketch book in her lap.

He smiled to himself before quietly walking over to her bed. Sliding the book out from under her arm he placed it on the nightstand along with the pencil.

He gently brushed the hair from her face and kissed her forehead before leaning over to turn the nightstand light off. His eyes trailed down to the sketch book and he looked at it curiously.

Glancing at Kate he quietly picked up the book and sat down in the desk chair before looking through a few of the pictures.

Several animal sketches were in it and he also found a few of the team. Each picture was down to almost every detail. He glanced at Kate to make sure she was sleeping soundly before he continued to admire the drawings. He flipped the page and found on of everyone. The date indicated she drew it during her time at the foster home. He smiled to himself slightly before flipping to the few next pages. Several were of more animals and he started to notice how many of them were in order of one's she shifted into. For example last week Kate had shifted twice into a German shepherd to go on a very quick run with him before he had to leave for a mission and she couldn't keep up in human form. Several images of German shepherds covered the page. Turning to the next page, there was a drawing of his shield from a slight angle. The date indicating she just finished it. His eyebrows went up a hint with interest as he looked over the picture. It wasn't perfect on measurement, but her shading and skill with a pencil hid it well. The lighting and shading were pretty much spot on and she even added the few nicks in the paint that he got on one of his recent missions over the course of the week. He smirked before his eyes trailed back over to Kate.

He looked down briefly; thinking about the trouble that had been going on the last few days. Sighing he finally placed the book on the table and turned the light off before heading for the door.

Giving one last peak in he closed her door to a crack before walking towards his room.

It was dark in Kate's room and seconds went by before Kate's eyes fluttered open and she let out a shaky breath before biting her lip.

 **Please review if it was ok :) Sorry, I'm trying to make these good it's not turning out to well**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 **Hey everyone! So sorry I'm hitting myself for not updating sooner :( Please read and enjoy**

I threw a punch and it was easily blocked as I tried to get my balance back as quickly as possible. "Control that punch" He spoke up. "Worry more about the accuracy, not the strength of it" I ducked a punch and quickly blocked another.

"Easy for you to say dad" I grumbled before dropping to the ground to kick his legs out. He only stepped to the side before knocking me as I was getting to my feet. I rolled before quickly getting up before and dodging a kick before hitting my back against the wall with a huff. I stopped. He was still ready before he dropped his fighting stance; breathing heavy.

"You ok?" He asked. I just nod before pushing off the wall; walking past him over towards the benches.

"Just really hot" I reply.

"Why don't you put your hair up then? Seems like it's getting in your face a tad bit" I could hear him behind me before I drank from my water bottle.

"And?" I state a bit louder. He cocked his head to the side before raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you" He put his hands up with a smirk. I look down before huffing.

"Sorry" I mumble before walking for the door.

"So are you done?" He asked. I stopped and turned. "I know you wanted to do some practice with your ability" He suggests. I hesitate; clenching my jaw a bit.

"K" I mumble before walking back. "What did you have in mind?" I ask; walking back over; my arms crossed.

"You did mention yesterday that shifting was giving you trouble" I hesitate before nodding.

It was... But that was because getting beat up was screwing with my muscles and made shifting painful.

"What's the hardest to shift into" He asked; crossing his arms.

"Bigger animals" I reply; looking down. "At least bigger than horses that it" I add. He nods.

"Alright, let's start there and work out way up ok?" I just nod before throwing my water bottle down and walked out a few feet. I took a deep breath before shifting into a horse. Glancing down I was jet black; not a single color besides black on me.

He walked over and threw his water bottle aside before looking me in the eye.

"Tell me if I'm pushing you too hard ok?" He smirked. I snorted and shook my mane before walking past him; picking up a trot to stretch the muscles a bit to warm up.

~0~

"Try jumping B to F" He called. I looked over; my ears perked up before I cantered fast and jumped over the small wall at the other side of the room. My eyes shot over to the next wall before I pushed myself faster and made it over wall F. These were hurdle walls you had to scale for normal training. But I could still jump them in this form so it was good practice to get myself back into it.

I kept running the pace I was at when I came around the bend and cut it a little too much and slipped. I neighed before crashing into the wall with a crash.

I regained myself as quickly as possible and got to my feet; shaking myself off and looked around like nothing happened.

"You ok?" Dad called over. I looked at him and whinnied. He gave a slow nod and laughed. "Alright, maybe it's time for a break" I snorted before trotting back over to as I broke into a canter. My head shot up a bit when I saw Clint walk out. I cantered up and stopped just as I got up to both of them and made Clint jump a bit.

"Oh uh hey Kate" He laughed. I shook my mane again before shifting back; blowing the hair from my face.

"Hill needs you on the carrier" Clint says to Dad. "In a few hours or something, not soon. Although I'm running something up there now. Kate you wanna come?" He turned to me. My eyes widened and I saw Dad look down at me.

"I-..." They were both looking at me and waiting for an answer. "Ok" I try to smile. Dad looked concerned and Clint was giving me a bit of a look. He knew about it and was giving me one of those 'why don't you tell him' looks.

He finally nods before walking out. Dad turned to my.

"So are you- what happened to your face?" He cut himself off and I saw that look vanish as he looked worried.

"Wha-?" I fiddled with my hair and it flew around before covering the bruise on my cheek bone on the right side of my face. I turned away quickly and he ended up grabbing my arm and turning me before moving my hair.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"I slipped" I tell him quickly.

"Again?" He looked even more worried and I realized that was the last excuse I gave him for the black eye. He was probably contemplating whether I could walk correctly; I fall all the time now from what I tell him when explain injuries.

"Well I actually hit it when I just fell over there" I tell him with a nod. He raised an eyebrow. I swallow and smile. I saw him look down and I felt my smile fade.

"Clint's going to leave I'd hurry up" He finally says quieter. I looked around and didn't say anything for a moment.

"Oh- Uh, ok" I hesitantly state before walking for the door.

"Kate" I turned back to him.

"Hm?" I look at him. He blinked before looking down and then at me again.

"Be careful" He says. I furrowed my eyebrows barely and gave and before walking out.

Why is he asking me to be careful? He doesn't know what goes on... I don't think so at least. And plus I don't think they'll pick a fight today. No one likes Monday's.

~0~

"Freak!" Carly yelled before slamming me against the wall. I didn't bother making a big deal out of it; just kept a straight face as I took a deep breath. Yeah. They definitely hate Monday's as much as I do.

I've been here for a few hours. Clint left back for the tower; he and Natasha got leave. I was just going to catch a normal ride back from a different SHIELD transport.

"You're nothing but useless trash they picked up in a warehouse!" Jason snarled. They don't approve of me at all as you can see. For some reason I'm having a change of thought about them forgetting about the bullying. "Why the hell do they even let her work here?" He asked. These other teen agents freaking pissed me off.

"Because I can kick your ass that's why" I spat. That did something cause next thing I knew the girl sent a flying kick right at me and hit me across the face. I flipped and fell to the ground before quickly kicking her legs out from under her before elbowing her in the gut as she was lying next to me.

"Hey!-" Jason yelled behind me and grabbed my arms and pulled me away from her before the other girl got up. Quickly thinking; I wrapped my legs around Carly's waist and flipped; bringing both of them down with me. I looked up suddenly and saw two more of their friends come around the bend.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Adeline spat.

"Carly," David called over to the girl I just flipped. "Are you ok?" The blonde boy asked. She wiped the blood from her cheek before glaring at me.

"Fine David" She growled. I pushed myself up before she kneed me in the face and I coughed before falling back on the ground before getting nailed in the ribs by Jason's foot. I hunched over in pain; leaning on my arms on the ground somewhat holding myself up as blood oozed from my mouth and onto the floor; creating a pool of it.

"Son of a bitch" I yelled; gritting my teeth.

"Excuse me?" Adeline demanded.

"You heard me!" I yelled at her and my eyes suddenly turned dark and I knew they saw it as they looked at me different. Wait- hold it. Control Kate, control.

They walked away seconds later and I glared after them before they disappeared down the hall.

I gritted my teeth as I tried to push myself up; feeling the piercing pain in my side. I finally rolled over onto my back; coughing slightly on the blood in my mouth. Once I got my breath back I leaned over and spat out the blood that was filling my mouth. Damn it. It still makes me nauseous.

I was lying there for a few seconds before letting out a small breath. This freaking sucks. I thought the bullying would end after middle school.

"What about Barton?" I heard someone ask. My eyes widened. Dad?! Oh my god, oh my god! He's gonna flip if he sees me like this!

I quickly pushed myself up and stumbled over to the corner of the hall; putting my back to it.

I peeked around the corner and saw Dad walk around the corner with Agent Hill.

"He'll be going on a mission with Kate next week, if that's alright" Maria replied. Dad nodded.

"Yeah that should be fine" He says quieter. "How is Kate?" Dad asked after a few seconds. She looked over at him and they stopped walking.

"She's been-..." Hill stopped.

"Avoiding SHIELD?" He finishes. Maria nods.

"Yes, is there something going on?" She asked. I let my head fall against the wall quietly.

"I don't know" He sighs. "She's refusing to talk to me about it; I've tried several times. Maybe I'm not doing it right" He mumbles. I peeked around the corner and saw them both. Dad was in his stealth suit and Agent Hill was wearing her usual SHIELD uniform. I watched them for a few more seconds and I caught Dad's expression. He looked-... Not sad but more so- lost. I felt a stab of guilt hit me before I hid back around the corner.

"Well I'm sure she'll come arou-" Her voice cut off. "Is that blood?" My breath caught in my throat and I peeked around the corner; seeing a pool of my blood was on the hall floor.

I quickly ran down the hall before they knew I was pretty much hiding a few feet away.

~0~

About an hour had gone by. I made it back to the tower; walking several blocks before I got to the elevator. I was out of breath and sweaty from wearing a hoodie. I had to where a hood to hide my face-... That was still covered in blood. I brushed the hood from my head before leaning against the back of the elevator wall. I held my side tightly with my left arm; feeling the throbbing pain. He probably bruised a few ribs.

Seconds later the door opened and I walked out onto the communal floor towards the counter. I hissed slightly as I was almost limping from the way my ribs hurt; I didn't want to put weight on that side of my body. I was too lazy to go with the pain for walking normally.

"Kate!" I looked to the right and saw Dad with Natasha and Clint; in the living room. Dad was in his suit still and Natasha and Clint were in theirs. They shouldn't be though because the two of them had week leave and no missions at all.

"Oh my god-" Natasha muttered before they all ran over. I swallowed and felt a wave of fear suddenly hit me like a speeding car when I saw the look on Dad's face.

"What happened!?" He demanded; lifting my chin up before started to look my injuries over. I immediately saw his expression change from worried to almost losing it to shock. "God-" He breathed. "Clint get a rag"

"Yeah" He replied; hurrying into the kitchen.

"Dad-"

"What happened?" He cut me off.

"Nothing!" I reply. Clint ran over and handed him the rag.

"Here" Natasha came over with several gauzes.

"I-I'm fine!" I shout. He completely ignored me before using the rag to lightly dap at the blood on my face. I had a busted nose also, which added to the blood covering the lower part of my face and down my neck slightly.

Seconds later I saw Dad frown slightly before looking at the rag. He grabbed my arm and led me over to the stools before somewhat pushing me down into the seat with ease.

"Natasha-" He turned to her. She nodded before he walked away. She came over and she sat across from me.

"Kate what'd you get yourself into?" She stated; using gauze to lightly wipe the blood away.

"Just a scuffle, it was nothing" I mumble; looking at the ground.

"Do you know how worried he was? We thought something happened to you" She added quieter. I furrowed my eyebrows. I guess they analyzed the blood on the carrier and realized it was mine. God I can't even imagine Dad's reaction to that. I got out of my thoughts right before Dad walked back up and Natasha quickly stood up before he sat down across from me.

I leaned on my fist against the counter; looking to the left out over at the cupboards away from him.

"Kate look at me." He said. I could hear the sternness in his voice. I know he's so freaking angry right now. I huffed before looking back over at him; letting my hand fall into my lap. "What happened?" He asked; handing me an ice pack. I pressed it against my right eye that was all bruised.

"I fell" I reply.

"You think lying to me is the best Idea right now!?" He asks louder in a serious tone.

"Well I don't want you all worrying-"

"Worrying?! You scared the hell out of me Kate! I thought something happened to you!" He exclaimed. I looked down and away from him. He was quiet for a few seconds. "Who did it." He demanded. I don't say anything. Knowing him I feel like he may try and fight this battle for me. But that won't do me any help... Plus he might hurt someone. And we can't have that. He gets way to protective and I wish he didn't most of the time.

"It was no one-" He immediately cut me off

"Kate I swear if you lie to me one more time today-" Dad started and I could hear the threatening tone in his voice. I don't think I've seen him this mad. It's hard being in this position with someone who is so nice most of the time... It's different I'll say that.

"Steve" Natasha cut him off. I looked down to the left and could still feel him glaring at me. It felt like forever went by before he turned to her. I think I saw her nod to the door before he looked back at me.

"Keep ice on that" He mumbled quietly; not sounding nearly as mad before getting up. I hesitated before pressing the ice pack to my eye once he left going down the stairs.

"Kate which agents did it?" Clint asked. I didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"I don't know all their names" I mumble.

"Kate" Natasha added sternly. I clenched my jaw. I can take care of myself. Why can't they just back off for a change?

"I can take care of this myself" I growl before getting up and walking for the elevator. "Just stay out of it" I snap.

~0~

About 45 minutes later I was still sitting in my room. I didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment so I told Jarvis to lock my door. I had put the ice pack in the sink and my face was cleaned up. Now I just have the black eye, a busted lip, and a bruised rib. Oh- and my nose might be broken. I told Bruce I would be down at some point, because he wanted to take a look at it.

I turned on my left side; looking out the window as I was lying in bed.

Suddenly I hear my door open and it got quiet. I let out a breath.

"How did you get in" I mutter; still staring out the window.

"I told Jarvis to unlock it" Dad responds quietly. He didn't sound mad anymore. I clenched my jaw; keeping my eyes out the window. I could hear him walking over before my bed moved slightly as he sat down on the end of the bed behind me.

"I'm about to go on a mission" He says. My gaze doesn't change. "Do you wanna come?" He asked. I didn't say anything for a few seconds.

"Why are you suddenly letting me on your missions?" I mumble. His missions were getting more serious and somewhat dangerous and he didn't want me going on them. He liked it better when I went on easier missions with other agents; and the occasional one by myself.

"Just wondering if you wanted to come. Either that, or you can go on Clint's mission next week if you want" He adds.

"Is there a stay at home option" I mutter.

"Honey if you run away from this it's not going to stop" He sighs. I furrowed my eyebrows slightly. I swallowed; keeping my gaze out the window.

"I don't know what you're talking about" I reply.

"I know you do Kate" He says back. I could tell he knew that I knew he was catching on.

I finally push myself up and pulled my legs up so I was hugging my knees. I was sitting in the middle of the bed and he was to the right sitting at the end.

"Who told you?" I asked. He smirked slightly.

"No one Kate, I could tell after a while what was happening. I kinda have a nag for noticing that stuff" He says. I immediately looked down at the comforter.

"How the hell would you know? It's not like you've gone through it" I snap; getting defensive.

"I actually have" He replies simply with a straight face. I stopped and felt my breath catch. I slowly looked over at him; suddenly feeling a bit bad.

"You mean-..."

"I was bullied as a kid too Kate" He chuckles. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"But-" I started then stopped myself. How the hell did he get bullied?! He's not exactly a small person that can be picked on.

"You know about the serum right?" He says; raising an eyebrow. I nod. Yeah I know about the super soldier serum and all that, but what does this have to do with being bullied. "Before the serum I was- well" He laughs before continuing. "A skinny kid with tons of health issues; let's just put it that way" He says. "Since I was a young kid I was always picked on, but once I met Bucky..." He stops for a moment. I knew about him. I saw a picture of him once, and I figured they were good friends.

"What about him?" I asked.

"He would stand up for me a lot, got me out of more problems than I'd care to count" He smirks. "But even as an adult I was still picked on" He says. "So yes Kate, I could immediately tell when they started picking on you" He smiles. I swallowed.

"So why did you keep asking me about it? - if you already knew" I asked slowly.

"I wanted you to be ready to tell me" He replies simply. "Although Natasha and Clint found out pretty soon since they pushed you for an answer-" We both laughed. "I wanted to give you a little time" He says before looking down.

"So... Why were you so mad at me earlier" I mumble a bit quieter. He looks over before letting out a breath; briefly looking away.

"I wasn't mad at you Kate, I just didn't know it was that serious that they were hurting you like that" He says. I hesitate before nodding.

"I kinda egged them on" I say slowly. He looks over and sees me hiding my smile. I scooted over before I was sitting next to him on his right.

"How do you usually handle it?" He asked.

"When they start picking on me?" I asked. He nods. "Uh... I dunno, usually I just-" I frown slightly. "I don't know" I finally say. "Usually I just- push back, I guess" I reply.

"Ever run away?" He asked. I furrowed my eyebrows. What kind of question is that!? Do you even know me?!

"Of course not" I give a big smile. He smirks before chuckling.

"That's my girl" He smiled before pulling me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around him in a hug before seeing my door open.

"Hey guys" Natasha smiled; peaking her head in. "Mission" She says towards dad. He nods before pulling out of the hug.

"So do you wanna come?" He asked me. I bit my lip before looking over at Natasha. She gave me a shrug as if to say 'why not?'

I finally nod.

"Alrighty" I smile. He nods before we both got up and headed to the door with Natasha.

We walked down the hall towards the elevator and Natasha was a few feet ahead of us.

"You need to promise me something ok?" He looked down at me. I hesitate before nodding.

"Tell me next time this happens" He makes clear in a serious manner; but still in a nice way. I nod. "I don't want you coming home beat up again" He chuckles. I shrug.

"Better than coming back out of breath saying I ran away right?" I point out. He raises eyebrow at me and I just smile big.

"Alright good point, but don't make a habit out of looking for trouble" He laughs; side hugging me as we walked into the elevator with Natasha.

"No promises dad" I start laughing and he rolls his eyes while Natasha chuckled.

"You know where she gets that" She smirked and looked at him. I furrowed my eyebrows before looking up at him. It was quiet for a minute as the door began closing.

"What does she mean by that?" I finally asked curiously. Dad glances down at me and I could see him hiding a smirk.

 _The End_

 **I know this one was a tad bit longer, I hope you enjoyed it :) There will be more one shots! Give me some ideas in the reviews if you can think of any.**


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